Power Lunch chat with Gina Mizell
OSU vs. La.-Lafayette Game Notes
Oklahoma State has posted the game notes for next Saturday’s season opener vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. Each week, we’ll post the game notes for that week’s games here in the OSU blog.
Enjoy.
– Posted by: Ryan Sharp, Asst. Sports Editor
Weeden Doesn’t Act His Age
Quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) walks onto the field before OSU's first practice of the season on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla. on Friday, August 5, 2011. Photo by Zach Gray
By John Helsley
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
Brandon Weeden is a sportswriter’s dream.
Interviews with the Cowboys quarterback are engaging and enjoyable, with Weeden always good for thoughtful and insightful answers, with honest emotion at a premium and clichés at a minimum.
If only OSU would have Weeden hold a Media 101 class for all its athletes.
And, yes, part of Weeden’s media skills are a product of his age.
Just don’t bring up Weeden’s age.
That’s the one topic that shuts him down.
He’s been there (hesitantly), done that. And he’s done with it.
Inside the locker room, taking jabs from teammates, Weeden is cool with that kind of fun. But when reporters probe about his upcoming 28th birthday, or how difficult it must be fitting in with “the kids,” it’s the one thing that noticeably irritates.
Weeden is overly patient and tolerable of all sorts of silly questions ranging from strategy to his relationship with new coordinator Todd Monken.
But poke around about his age, which someone inevitably does, even with that part of the story over-tapped old news…
It happened again a few weeks ago, with an out-of-market reporter going the old-man route.
“I fit in pretty well. I joke that before I was a starter, 95 percent of the guys on the team had no idea how old I was,” Weeden said, trying to snuff the line of questioning. “I fit in fairly well in the locker room, like to joke. Even to this day, I don’t think I stand out because of my age.”
Ah, but the reporter was persistent: “Are you self-conscious about your age?”
Weeden: “Nah, not at all. Even my first year, I was 23, there were other guys who were 23. I get that question a lot from you guys. I mean, no one even thinks about it until it’s brought up.”
Still going…
Reporter: “Change your hair style to look younger?”
Weeden: “I’ve had the same hair style since I was in high school. I’m just ready for all the age questions… it all gets pretty monotonous.”
Reporter, still not getting it: “I bet you haven’t got this question, thought about retiring?”
Weeden: “Retire? When they kick me out the door.”
OSU: Outside Views
Athlon magazine ranks Justin Blackmon No. 1 among Big 12 players.
By John Helsley
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for the summer football magazines to hit the newstands. Loved them for the fix of feeding anticipation for the upcoming season. And in those seasons when the beloved Cardinals looked out of the pennant chase, the magazines couldn’t arrive soon enough.
Athlon was always a favorite, both for the good info and the “spirit” pages, where cheerleaders from seemingly exotic places like UCLA and USC and Tennessee were always featured.
Athlon is still putting out a good magazine, but it doesn’t end there. The folks there, like many of us in the news business, recognize the hunger for more and are delivering it with regularity online at athlonsports.com.
And they think highly of the Cowboys.
In a recent online story, Athlon ranked the top players in the Big 12. OSU came in at No. 1, 5 and 6. No surprise, Justin Blackmon is No. 1 and Brandon Weeden is No. 5. At No. 6, tackle Levy Adcock gets high mention as the only offensive lineman in the top 15.
The Cowboys are clearly commanding respect, occupying three of the top six spots in the league-wide rankings. And there’s more, with Markelle Martin at No. 16 and Shaun Lewis at No. 33 in what amounts to a Top 35.
Building the case for Blackmon, Athlon wrote:
Why he’s ranked 1st: After a standout sophomore season, what will Blackmon do for an encore? It’s possible a defense may hold him under 100 yards at some point in 2011, but it’s unlikely for him to suffer much of a drop in production. Even though (Dana) Holgorsen departed to West Virginia, Brandon Weeden is back at quarterback, and Oklahoma State’s offense will once again rank among the best in the Big 12.
More Athlon links of note:
Projected Big 12 breakout players: http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/predicting-college-footballs-breakout-players-big-12
Texas A&M’s impact if it bolts for the SEC: http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-realignment
Pirate Love For Pokes
Mike Leach wears a new headset now, talking college football on satellite radio. And he's on record for liking what the Cowboys have done.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Mike Gundy likes where his Cowboys are, predicted to contend in the Big 12 and earning national respect from the polls.
Still, it’s nice to get confirmation from your peers, not just reporters. So Gundy was interested to hear what former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had to say about OSU in his new role as satellite radio college football pundit on Sirius/XM’s College Football Playbook.
“One thing I do when I’m driving, I love to turn on the (satellite) station where coach Leach talks, because it’s entertaining,” Gundy said. “It’s better than listening to a comedy channel. And there’s a lot of knowledge involved. So I enjoy listening to the guy.”
Gundy liked what Leach had to say about his Cowboys during one drive-time session, indicating just how far OSU’s program had come.
“He brought up some things in talking about the Big 12 – he was very complimentary of us,” Gundy said, “and one comment he made was, ‘They’ve won seven games and a bowl; they’ve won nine, then 11…’
“And he brought up at one point that you can’t win 16 games.”
That’s not to say that Gundy, or the Cowboys, want to believe that they’ve topped out at 11 wins, the school-record total they posted a year ago. Still, Gundy indicated, it’s nice that amid soaring expectations those who know the business recognize what the Cowboys have accomplished.
Fedora Name Familiar at OSU
Larry Fedora relocated to Southern Miss, but his son has returned to Stillwater -- and OSU.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Examination of Oklahoma State’s roster reveals an intriguing name: Dillon Fedora.
Any relation? Yes.
Dillon is the son of Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora, who served as Mike Gundy’s offensive coordinator at OSU from 2005-07, a time when Dillon spent some formative years in Stillwater.
Now he’s a recruited walk-on wide receiver with the Cowboys.
“I think the experience he had when they lived here – he loves Stillwater – Larry and Christi felt comfortable here, they loved Stillwater, all played into him coming here,” Gundy said.
“Larry knows me, he knows Joe Wickline, he knows Doug Meacham, he knows the people in our organization.”
Listed at 5-10, 180 pounds, Dillon is a true freshman out of Hattiesburg’s Oak Grove High, where he was an All-District performer.
Just a guess, but the 180 pounds attached to Dillon’s bio may be stretching things a bit. Running alongside the likes of Justin Blackmon and Hubert Anyiam and Tracy Moore, the younger Fedora looks downright diminutive.
“Looks just like his dad did playing,” Gundy said at practice Monday.
Larry played wide receiver at Austin College, helping the Kangaroos to an NAIA national title in 1981.
Now, if Dillon has dad’s brains and savvy, the Cowboys just may have something.
“If he puts the hard work in and all those things, he’ll have an opportunity to play here,” Gundy said. “And I think he wanted a chance to play at this level of football.”
Dillon had offers from some smaller schools, but no Division I scholarships. He could have walked on at Southern Miss, but rather than face the obvious father-son pressures that typically occur in those situations, Dillon looked elsewhere.
“I wouldn’t want to deal with those pressures,” Gundy said. “There’s enough pressure on a head coach, much less having to deal with your son on the team. And with him being a walk-on, at some point, like the other players we have here, he’ll have a chance to earn a scholarship.
“That’s a lot of pressure to have on your dad, when you’re going asking for a scholarship for a walk-on. Even though he may have earned it, some people may see it differently. And it’s a lot of pressure on a kid.”
OSU-A&M Already On The Radar
Brandon Weeden says last year's A&M win "catapulted" the Cowboys.
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
OSU’s time in Dallas at the Big 12 Media Days went well, with all three representatives – Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Markelle Martin – presenting themselves well, to no surprise.
They are solid ambassadors for the program and each delivered in every way as an interested media gathered to gauge the Cowboys for the season ahead.
And it’s a season that brings an early major matchup: OSU’s trip to Texas A&M for the Big 12 opener in the opening month on Sept. 24.
The Cowboys will be coming off a beginning stretch of games that includes home dates with Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona, followed by a road test at Tulsa.
The Aggies start against SMU, Idaho, with an open week between those two.
Then, for two teams hoping to breakthrough for a Big 12 title, it’s on.
And despite the early date, it smells of an elimination game.
“Truthfully,” said Aggies coach Mike Sherman, “I prefer playing them a little later. We have Arkansas in there as well (the week after OSU), which is another big game for us.
“Certainly, Oklahoma State, a team that we have not found a way to win against since I’ve been at A&M. We’ve lost to them three games in a row.
“That’s going to be a key game on our schedule. Put a lot of effort into that in the offseason to see exactly what they’re doing, how we can play better and coach better.”
The Cowboys would surely like to ease into Big 12 play as well, if that’s possible.
But a win in College Station could also propel them, much the way beating the Aggies in Stillwater a year ago did.
“A&M catapulted us through the middle part of the season,” Weeden said.
The Cowboys can’t get ahead of themselves, not with Arizona seeking revenge for an Alamo Bowl beating and dangerous Tulsa circling OSU’s visit on its schedule.
But it is a fun game to look forward to – perhaps the key game in either team’s schedule.
OSU Wide Receiver Justin Blackmon to be on ESPN Sport Science
Justin Blackmon will be featured on an upcoming segment of ESPN's Sport Science
This time the Cowboys junior wideout will be taping a segment for ESPN Sport Science. He is traveling to Los Angeles today and will be taping tomorrow morning.
Gavin Lang, OSU football sports information director, said he was not notified when it would air, but was told the segment would be most like the one former Florida cornerback and current Cleveland Brown Joe Haden taped.
– Anthony Slater
The Pokes have become quite popular
Justin Blackmon has spent plenty of time on ESPN this summer
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
Over the past few years, it would have been hard to be a college football fan in America and overlook the exploits of Oklahoma State.
Consecutive bowl appearances, several weeks in the national Top 10 and multiple individual award winners have helped the Cowboys make their mark on the national landscape.
The proof?
OSU has made 22 television appearances in the past two seasons as the Pokes have become an exciting option for television networks.
Schedule changes for the 2011 season are further proof of the national interest in the Cowboys. The Iowa State game was moved to Friday, Nov. 18 to become a featured game on ESPN while Bedlam was moved to Dec. 3 to become a featured game on Championship Saturday to give the Big 12 a footprint while other conferences hold their championship games.
Neither move would have occurred without the rise of the Pokes.
The added television time should pay off in the future for OSU — both athletically and academically — as each appearance acts as an free advertisement for the school.
“You probably couldn’t put a dollar value on it,” athletic director Mike Holder said. “It’s priceless. You couldn’t afford to buy the commercial time.”
But for Holder and OSU, television appearances are only a piece of the puzzle.
“The best advertisment we’ve got is to graduate our student athletes, play by the rules and be good sports and the last piece of the puzzle is winning,” Holder said. “But the winning part loses all significance if one of the other three is not there.”
Holder’s vision is not complete
Boone Pickens Stadium at night
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon
Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder has helped transform the Cowboy football program.
An upgraded Boone Pickens Stadium including the West End Zone facilities and the Sherman Smith Center will have the Pokes’ program in great position in the race to have top-level facilities.
Yet, Holder’s vision is not finished.
With the Cowboy golf, basketball (men’s and women’s) and football programs boasting first-class facilities, Holder is looking forward to taking steps towards seeing his dream of an athletic village at OSU.
There’s no timetable for the athletic village but it is clear Holder is committed to his goal of helping every OSU athlete on campus to succeed.
“There’s still a huge responsibility to continue the quest,” Holder said. “(We want) to do what we have for football, basketball and golf for all the athletes here.
“Everybody deserves the chance to make their dreams come true at the highest level.”
OSU’s original plan for an athletic village included a tennis facility, baseball stadium, indoor track and other athletic facilities.
